Super Bowl Party

Last Sunday Josh and I had a Super Bowl party at our apartment. We wanted to stay home and watch it, but invite others to see how great football is in HD. Josh loves watching football where the picture is so clear and can't imagine how we ever did without it.

We decorated with some balloons and went shopping for munchies and other not very healthy food. We had pizza, hot wings and any other finger food you could think of. My sister, Sarah, helped to plan the party and she did a great job! It was the first time we had more than a few people at our apartment because it's not very big. I'm sorry we couldn't invite everyone! We'll have to have more small parties so everyone can come over sometime. Here's a picture of our guests watching the big game. Some of the pics I took were really fuzzy. I'm not sure why, but Josh ended up changing the shutter speed and then everything was fine.


After our munchy dinner we had an ice cream cake from Cold Stone for dessert. It was soo yummy! We all had a great time watching the game even though all but one of us were rooting for The Colts.

During the game we played bingo. Sarah had made cards we could fill in. One was for what would happen during the game and one was for the commercials. We had prizes for those who won and I think everyone had fun. Josh kept putting his foot in the picture, but I think it turned out cute.

I'm sure our neighbors were laughing at all the cheering and moaning that was coming from our apartment that day. After it was all said and done, I thought it was cool that The Saints won since they had never won The Super Bowl before. Here's some more pictures from the party. The first is Josh enjoying the show. Doesn't he look comfy?


Kelci's such a good sport for putting up with Paul all the time!

And last but not least, the party planner herself, Sarah.


My aunt and uncle, Lorna and Del, were also there. As well as my cousin, Matthew.

The End of January 2010

This last week of January has been pretty busy for us. I started doing all procedures at work by myself and it was the craziest week. I'll be taking turns with the other two nurses, so I'll only have to do procedures every three weeks, thank goodness. It went really well, but I was very stressed and pretty drained when Friday night finally came. This weekend has been a nice, relaxing one and I don't want it to end!

Josh has been doing homework almost every night this week. He's one week ahead on his assignments and is still doing really great. He has another test on Friday and another project due soon. I don't know how he does that and keeps up with everything else! We also heard from one of the other four applicants for the police job he's waiting to hear about. She wasn't selected. We heard this on Monday so have been on pins and needles ever since, waiting to hear if Josh got the position or didn't. We haven't heard a single thing. It's driving me, and Josh's mom, absolutely crazy! Josh seems to be calm about the whole thing and just laughs when the two women in his life get worked up about it. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and keeping their fingers crossed that a job will come his way! We really appreciate all of your love and support! It helps get us through-especially at times like this when all we can do is wait.

A couple of cute things have also happened this week. Our cat, Moroni, was found to be in-between the covers of our bed. She usually does this when we're laying in bed, watching TV, but this time I was just walking past the bedroom and saw this lump in our covers. After doing a double-take, I found that it was Moroni. She had climbed up in between the two blankets and was sound asleep.




The next cute thing happened yesterday morning while we were at my grandpa's birthday breakfast. Everyone from my dad's side of the family goes to breakfast at Denny's once a year to celebrate with my grandpa. As we were waiting for everyone, we found that we needed another table. I started to move the one next to ours over and the waitress came over saying "you must be a mom". I told her that I wasn't one yet. Then later, during the meal, she came around to clear up some empty dishes and I started handing her some. She then said that I would be a great mom. That took me by surprise, but made me smile. I thought it was neat that someone I don't even know thinks I'll be a good mom just by a couple of things she saw me do. It was a nice compliment! And I hope I can be that great mom she says I will be when I get the chance!

I have a couple more pictures I'd like to put on this post. This is another holster that Josh made. I think it's really neat! He made it for our Derringer and it's more a "show-holster" than a workable holster.
He also made it so it could be put on a belt and worn.


Sorry about the millions of directions this post took! I kept thinking of things I wanted to blog about. I hope everyone has had a good January! And that the rest of 2010 goes just as good!

Anniversary Balloon Contest

This is the balloon Josh bought me for our 1-year anniversary. As you can tell it is still up. Some of the helium has come out, but it is still at the top-most corner of our apartment. We think this is pretty amazing since most mylar balloons are down in about a week. So I thought of a contest we could do. Anyone who wants can guess how long they think the balloon will stay up and whoever is the closest to when it actually comes down will be the winner. There will be a prize involved. It is now at day 40 of being up. I will try to put a timer or something at the side of the blog to keep track of how many days it's been up. Good luck everyone! Please just put your guesses as comments and I will let you know who the winner is. :)

The Start of 2010

This year has started off pretty busy for both Josh and I. We're both still working full time at the same jobs and Josh started back to school. He's working towards his Associates Degree and is taking an on-line Math class. He's stayed ahead on his assignments and is doing a really good job. Besides this, Josh is still on the hunt for a police job. He's one of four left from the current application and we're keeping all of our fingers (and toes) crossed that this one works out. He is so excited to be a police officer and it about kills me when he's not given the chance. He has such a big heart and is so smart! He's a very hard worker and a fast learner and has the desire to serve the community. What more could anyone want? I'm sure Heavenly Father is watching out for us and has a plan for Josh's career, but it sure is hard waiting!

Another aspect of this new year is our bathroom becoming a pharmacy. That's what Josh calls it anyway. We both had routine blood work done a few weeks ago and both found to have low levels of something. Josh has low thyroid and Vitamin D and is now on supplements for both. I have low Iron and Vitamin D levels and am also on supplements for both. We've also been trying to find a cause and cure for Josh's headaches. He gets very painful headaches which last for days and so far we haven't been able to find out why. He had a CT scan of his sinuses which showed some minor problems, but nothing the doctor is worried about. He's going to see a specialist in the near future and we're praying to find some answers.

Among all the work and school, we've also found time for some hobbies. I've been working on my scrapbooks and just finished putting together the sweet scrapbook Christy gave me for my bridal shower. It was so fun to put together! We also went shooting last weekend with some of my family and Josh had a great time teaching them how to use handguns. He's also been making leather holsters. Here he is with his mallet.

My husband has such an inventive mind. He can think of a project he wants to do, draw up the plans, and then put it together if he has the right tools. He's already made an over-the-shoulder holster and here is his inside-the-pants holster. It's so amazing for me to watch this process. My mind doesn't work like that at all and it's neat to see him create so many different things.

Right now he's working on another holster. This one is for our new gun. Last week we bought a .22 caliber, single-action Derringer. It's such a small gun! We haven't had a chance to take it shooting yet, but want to soon.

I've also had fun this year being pampered by my sweet husband. For Christmas he bought me nail polish, appliques and all the necessary tools for manicures and pedicures. Then last weekend he painted my toenails and fingernails. My fingernails are a light pink shimmer and my toenails are a darker red. He put flowers on my fingers, which have since fallen off, but the skull and cross bones he put on my toes are still there. He did a great job and I think I'll keep him as my full-time nail specialist.

He also shared his favorite childhood story with me a couple of weeks ago. It's called "The Terrible, Horrible, Awful, Deplorable, Lovable, Little Troll". It's a fun story about being different and how each one of us has something special to give because we are different. I loved listening to Josh's voice as he read the story out loud to me! And I could picture him reading it to our children when we become parents.

We've also have had some very spiritual experiences this year. I had to talk in church two weeks ago and the whole block was about our Heavenly Father's relationship with His children. It stressed how our Father loves each one of us and has a plan for each of our lives. He also knows each of us by name and is watching out for us day and night. He can be a constant companion if we just let Him. It was very powerful! Then that night we went to Josh's aunt and uncle's house to give his uncle a blessing. They're really Josh's great aunt and uncle, but they've adopted us as their grandchildren. Uncle Mike needed a blessing and had asked his son-in-law to give it to him. He also asked that each of his children with their spouses and families come to be with him. The spirit was so strong as each member of the family who held the priesthood stood in the circle when that blessing was given. Each child and grandchild was silently pleading with Heavenly Father to bless this wonderful man who is such an example to all. The faith of everyone in the room seemed to fill the whole house. It was such an incredible experience and I'm so glad we were able to be a part of it!

Remembering 2009

I know this is about 3 weeks late, but I wanted to review the year we had in 2009 before starting into 2010.

In January Josh started back to school in the police academy. He went to class every weeknight and on Saturdays. He continued to work at American Express and was very busy. I still worked (and am still working) at The Heart Center. We didn't get to spend much time together, but greatly enjoyed what little time we had! We got our wedding pictures back and enjoyed seeing the images of that special day.

February brought our first Valentine's Day as a couple. No more "single awareness day" for me-yay!! Josh had to go to school for most of that day, but he sent me roses at work during the week which were beautiful. That night we picked up dinner and stayed at home, enjoying the time we had to be together. I turned 29-which was a great day with Josh as we both took the day off of work. But I'm definitely not looking forward to my next birthday!

March was more of the same-work and school. I made my goal of getting our "thank you" cards done by our 3 month anniversary.

April brought a lot of good things as Josh graduated from the police academy with two awards. Both of our families were there to celebrate with us and it was a wonderful day.

In May we went on our first vacation together (besides our honeymoon). We took a weekend and drove to St. George/Cedar City. Josh has family who live in Cedar City, so we went to visit them. We had to sleep in St. George because we ended up going at the time of SUU's graduation. We had a ton of fun visiting with his family and enjoyed seeing Cove Fort on the way home. We also went to Disneyland this month with Paul and Kelci. Josh enjoyed his first time to the magical kingdom, but still prefers camping trips over Mickey.

June brought the birth of our niece, Presley. She's Payton and Maclain's little sister and she's adorable! Becky is such a great mom and we have fun being aunt and uncle to her 3 youngsters. We also went to the airshow at Hill Air Force Base. Josh used to live there and it was fun to learn about it's history and see the various planes.

In July Mary and Ryan got married. We had such a great time helping them get ready for their special day as well as being a part of it. We also went camping with some of Josh's family. It was a great 3-day weekend and I'm happy to say that Josh still loves me even after I haven't been able to shower for that long. We also bought our truck that month and found out that I was a fugitive. Thank goodness we were able to clear that up quickly!

August was a month of hiking for us. We bought a book and started to enjoy some of the hikes around Salt Lake. We didn't go to very many of them and hope to go on more this year.

In September we went on a weekend trip with Maren and Tyson, Josh's cousins, and had a great time trying to 4-wheel up in Ogden. We weren't able to find many trails but had fun trying. Josh also turned 24. He says he's a "2 for 4" now. We also kept hiking and ended up getting lost on the way to the living room.

October was our second Halloween together. We didn't do much the first year because we were focused on wedding planning, but this year we dressed up. Josh made an amazing costume and we had fun showing off for our family. This was also the month that the motorcycle was put to bed for the winter. How sad!

November was our second Thanksgiving together. We both had the day off and enjoyed running in the Utah Human Race and visiting with both of our families. For our first, Josh had to work, so I mostly spent the day with my family.

In December we celebrated our 1-year anniversary. It was a wonderful first year! I'm so grateful for Josh and for our marriage! I love him more every day! We also had a wonderful Christmas together and had fun in our search of presents for one another. Christmas Eve was spent with Josh's extended family and Christmas day was with mine. I love waking up to Christmas morning with my husband!

1-year anniversary

Thursday, December 17th, was our first anniversary. I can't believe we've been married for a year! It's been such a wonderful year and I'm so grateful to be Josh's wife! He's an incredible husband and I have been so very blessed since he came into my life!

To celebrate this special occasion, we decided to go to Little America for two nights and get away from everything for a little while. We stayed there on Wednesday and Thursday nights and came home on Friday. We both had to work on Wednesday, the 16th, and I was anxiously awaiting the end of the day when Josh surprised me. He came to my work all dressed up in a black button-up shirt, slacks and a red tie. He carried a red rose and had a big smile on his face. He looked soo good and it was a perfect way to start our anniversary vacation!

On our way to the hotel, Josh saw someone whose car had broken down and was on the side of the road. He pulled over and helped to push her to a gas station. He did this same thing when we had our engagement pictures taken. We were waiting for a light turn and he quickly jumped out of the car and told me to take the wheel. The next time I see him, he's in the middle of the intersection helping to push some poor person out of the way. It makes me smile that he's such a considerate person!

Once we were on our way again, we went through a Wendy's drive-through and picked up dinner. We actually did this same thing on our first night as husband and wife. We didn't get a chance to eat at our reception and were pretty hungry, so went through the first drive-through that we saw.

As we pulled up to our hotel room at The Little America, Josh got out to get us registered, or so I thought. After a few minutes he came out to help bring in our things, leaving the door to our room open. I walked in first and started crying the minute I did. I had just walked into another surprise. The room was beautifully decorated with rose petals, white lights, a dozen roses and streamers in our wedding colors. There was also a banner and two glasses with a bottle of sparkling apple cider. The cd Josh made when he proposed was playing in the background. Apparently he had gotten off work early to do this for me. I still marvel at the fact that such a wonderful man fell in love with me!




On our anniversary morning we ordered room service. It was really good food and nice to have breakfast in bed. I had an omelet and Josh had a breakfast burrito. The tray was set up so professionally and there were cute, little bottles of ketchup and Tabasco sauce. We didn't use them, but brought them home as souvenirs.

Later that day we went walking around The Grand Hotel which is just across the street. They have a ginger bread village set up and
many festive decorations. The gingerbread houses were made by local chefs and were expertly decorated. They were up for auction and the ones we saw were going for at least $150.



That night we went to Temple Square to see the lights. I loved enjoying that with my husband! The nativity sets were so neat and we watched the story of the first Christmas that is played every few minutes at the center nativity set. It was such a meaningful time for me to be in the same place we were a year ago. We were married in the Salt Lake Temple and that will always be special to me.


After our joyful time at Temple Square, we took a carriage ride back to the hotel. The carriage we took was heated and as an anniversary present the driver took us on both of his routes before taking us back to Little America.


The last surprise of our anniversary happened when we walked back into our hotel room. This time it was for Josh. I had the hotel decorate with rose petals and bring in chocolate-covered strawberries and more sparkling apple cider. There was also a bottle of bubble bath. I hardly ever get a chance to surprise him because I'm not very good at being sneaky, but this time I got it right. It was great to be able to show Josh just how much I love him!


It was a perfect 1-year anniversary! Thank you, Josh, for all that you have done for me! You're a wonderful husband and it's been a wonderful first year together! I hope we have many, many more together! I love you!

Christmas Season

I love the Christmas season and am excited to be able to enjoy it this year! Last year we were distracted by wedding plans and missed out on it (not that I'm complaining!) but it's nice to be able to enjoy it again. To start things off, the weekend after Thanksgiving we put up our Christmas tree. We had to do some furniture arranging to fit it in our front room (our loveseat is now in the second bedroom) but it all worked out and the tree is really pretty. My two favorite ornaments are the ones we got for our wedding. The bear ornament is one my mom gave us at my bridal shower, and the other is a wedding gift from Paul and Kelci.
Josh and I have decided to make it a tradition and get a new ornament every year. We bought one for 2009 that has a snowmen on it with a place where we can put our picture. I think it will be fun to be able to look back through the years and have an ornament to remember each one by!

Several other decorations adorn our apartment. We have our stockings hung by the fireplace and a sweet, children's nativity set. A jingle bell wreath is on our front door and I think it's one of the coolest things. We found it at Home Depot and it's made entirely out of jingle bells. At the top is a ribbon and mistletoe. It's fun to open and close the door with Santa's bells jingling merrily each time we do! These plates are in our dining area and were a gift from Josh's aunt, Kathy.

There's one decoration I'm bummed about, though. Over the weekend I strung colored lights on our balcony but we couldn't turn them on because we didn't have an extension cord. We finally got and I plugged them in tonight. They were so festive and fun, but since there's no outlet outside, I had to pull the extension cord through the sliding glass door. The door doesn't shut completely or lock with the cord in it, so we won't be able to keep them up there. Dangit!

Another fun thing I love at Christmas is the cards. We got our first one about a week ago and it's from our dentist. It's actually a really nice card and is now above our fireplace with the other cards we've received.


We've been able to enjoy a little of the season almost every day this month. We've watched some Christmas movies and went to The Festival of Trees. We also saw Josh's cousin, Lindsey, dance with the Dance Company at West Jordan for their annual Christmas Concert. And a couple days ago I went to enrichment night which was centered on Christ and really helped me to remember the reason for this wonderful season.

There's one last thing I'd like to mention on this post which is not really related to Christmas, but made me so happy that I wanted to share. Josh had last Friday off and he was a such a sweetheart for cleaning the house and running errands. But the best thing was when he came and saw me at work and had this beautiful bouquet in his arms. It was such a nice surprise and the flowers are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you my incredible husband!